My son Ryan and I are planning our first ever Doodletown excursion this Saturday. Are any Doodletown veterans interested in meeting us there to join forces - especially to seek out ceruleans?
John Zucker > On May 26, 2014, at 11:06 PM, "Peter Reisfeld drpi...@yahoo.com [ebirdsnyc]" > <ebirds...@yahoogroups.com> wrote: > > Despite my abysmal record of success at finding target birds this year, I > visited Doodletown Road today hoping to get the Cerulean and Kentucky > warblers that had eluded me thus far. I arrived early, only to be swarmed > with mosquitos and flies. There was plenty of birdsong, but I had to keep > moving, not the ideal strategy for finding treetop ceruleans, or > ventriloquistic hoodeds. I spend a miserable hour or two without seeing > anything notable, save a yellow throated vireo. Hearing a Kentucky singing > on Pleasant Valley Road was a highlight, but the bird seemed to be deep in > the woods, and I was unable to locate it. > > I pondered cutting my losses and leaving, but as the morning wore on and > birders and hikers filled the park, the insects surprisingly abated. > (Perhaps they'd found targets other than me). And while there was less > birdsong, I was finally able to spot some birds. First it was a singing > blue-winged warbler on Doodletown road. Then I headed back for a second try > at the Kentucky, and this time I scored. As I sat on a rock watching it sing > on a bare twig, I excitedly announced my finding to passing group. "I > know, I can hear him", said the first birder as he walked by without > slowing, obviously less thrilled than me. > > After getting a few people on the bird, it flew, and I continued up the road > finding a nice clearing where I sat down and had a snack. I heard scarlet > tanager, RB grosbeak, hooded warbler and indigo bunting singing, and was able > to spot the first three. As I munched, I got a quick glance at a grayish > warbler-type bird with a wing bars that was flitting around. I thought/hoped > female cerulean, and then it appeared again, giving me a better look. It was > indeed a female cerulean, busy collecting nesting material. I watched her > bring it back to the nest, and then go out for several more forays. > > Well satisfied, I started heading out, but ran into Karlo and Allison Mirth, > and I brought them back to see see the nest, giving me the additional > pleasure of sharing. I headed out again, and just before leaving the park I > heard a buzzy call up the steps at the very first historic house site near > the beginning of the trail. Low and behold, I was greeted by a singing male > cerulean, not very high, and in good light. Boy was I glad I didn't leave > early. > > I uploaded a couple of short, slightly shaky, imperfectly exposed videos of > the Kentucky and the Cerulean nest onto my Flicker site: > > https://www.flickr.com/photos/50403904@N03/ > > > Happy late spring birding! > > > Peter > __._,_.___ > Posted by: Peter Reisfeld <drpi...@yahoo.com> > Reply via web post • Reply to sender • Reply to group > • Start a New Topic • Messages in this topic (3) > ebirdsnyc: bird sightings from the NYC area > VISIT YOUR GROUP New Members 3 > • Privacy • Unsubscribe • Terms of Use > . > > > __,_._,___ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
